Problems with Futurlec

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MrAl
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Problems with Futurlec

Post by MrAl »

Hello there,


Recently i placed an order with Futurlec online and they billed
my credit card the same day, then a week later my order status still
didnt show up on the web site. I emailed the sales dept and they took
two days to get back to me, saying that they didnt have two connectors
whose cost totaled only 2 dollars so they were waiting for them but
they could ship the order now missing those two parts and when they
come in ship them.
Another week later i got the package and yes it was missing the two
connectors, so i emailed them over the weekend and asked when
they would be in and they still havent gotten back to me.
I sent another email yesterday saying that if i could get credit instead
i would order something else and they could send it with my second
order (which i am almost ready to place). I still havent gotten a reply.

This makes me wonder if anyone else has ordered from them
and if they had problems like this?
LEDs vs Bulbs, LEDs are winning.
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jwax
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Post by jwax »

You're not alone. I never even heard of them but these folks have:
http://forums.linear1.org/index.php/topic,366.0.html
Robert Reed
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Post by Robert Reed »

MrAl, to the best of my knowledge, credit card companys prohibit the charging of orders that are not immediatly shipped. Backorders or cancellations would never show up on your statemet until that order was received and shipped by vendor. Somthing is seriously wrong with their billing department!
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MrAl
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Post by MrAl »

Hi again,

Yes Robert i thought that was strange too as the card was billed the
same day i placed the order, yet it wasnt going to be shipped until
they got the two connectors in. They still did not get them in (this
is three weeks later now) and that's why i was contacting them again.

I got a reply today and one of their 'reps' (i guess) said that the
order was shipped on Oct 15, which i already knew about and
told them in email that i got it already. I wrote back another email
today to explain a second time what i wanted so lets see how long
they take to respond this time.

This is the worst company i have ever dealt with.
LEDs vs Bulbs, LEDs are winning.
smariotti
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Post by smariotti »

MrAl wrote:This is the worst company i have ever dealt with.
My first order from them took a long time to come. Longer than I'd have expected, but it did arrive, and it did arrive in toto.

My second order from them was a much larger order, and I paid for 3 day shipping and it arrived three days from when they fulfilled it (which was two days after I ordered it.)

Their communication with the buyer is very poor, but they haven't omitted any items from my order and everything arrives individually packaged and labelled for convenience.

I like their prices, and if I'm not in a hurry they seem to be fine for me. I will use them again. But I won't count on customer service or much communication with me. That seems to be their weakest area.

Mouser, however, is always 100% rock solid efficient and organized and everything arrives as intended with great documentation and efficient service. They have continued to impress me with every interaction. Now if I could just get them to stop sending me the 2000 page phone book of a catalog they have.
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MrAl
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Post by MrAl »

Hi again,


Thanks for the info. I am beginning to think maybe there is a language
barrier, where they have to translate English to be able to read the
emails. They packed everything i *did* get ok really, so everything
isnt too bad except they dont seem to know how to deal with customers.
I wonder if they have a phone line.
LEDs vs Bulbs, LEDs are winning.
ian
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Post by ian »

I too placed an order with them but only because they had an inexpensive
part I needed and nobody else had it.

I generally avoid dealing with ANY company that does not have an
address or telephone number. What else would you expect from
an organization like that?
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Lenp
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Post by Lenp »

The problems I have had with them is that they ship FedUp (FedEx)
Now, there's another whole new horror story!

I have a delivery pending, right now, that's been in and out of the local hub more times than some of the people that work there!
Nobody knows, or cares, why.

Len
bodgy
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Post by bodgy »

Robert Reed wrote:MrAl, to the best of my knowledge, credit card companys prohibit the charging of orders that are not immediatly shipped. Backorders or cancellations would never show up on your statemet until that order was received and shipped by vendor. Somthing is seriously wrong with their billing department!
Unfortunately, unlike the UK (Europe?) and seemingly the US, that rule doesn't pertain here in Australia or if it does, most companies ignore it.

Futurlec are based in NSW in Australia.

Colin
On a clear disk you can seek forever.
Robert Reed
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Post by Robert Reed »

I've been following this post with some interest and shock!
Lately I have had some problems with my regular suppliers as to day by day price fluctuations and backorders, some that would have seen delays as long as 3 months. These were mimimal price changes are were of no consequence but some of the backorders have negated the whole project as time constraints would have been far to down the road as to completion deadlines. My main ordering source is Mouser with Digikey a close second, as I like dealing with both of these companys.Theses inconveniant occurrenceces are few and far between and as such do not affect project development time to that great a degree.
However, after reading the problems here with Futurelec ( one of the many sources I have bookmarked, but never placed an order from), I have deleted them from my list of suppliers - I just don't need any more procurment headaches :sad: .
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MrAl
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Post by MrAl »

Hi again,

Robert:
It seems that they try to get the order going but if they have even
the slightest problem then dont know how to handle it.
I still havent heard back yet from them so i am out the two bucks
for the connectors until this issue is resolved.
LEDs vs Bulbs, LEDs are winning.
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MrAl
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Post by MrAl »

Hi again,

Ok i finally got a reply...they said they would credit me if i tell
them the new order number once i place it.
Strange thing is, this idea was in their favor too because they
get out of paying the shipping for the two little connectors as when
i place my new order i will be paying for the shipping. I guess
it took them a while to understand this.
LEDs vs Bulbs, LEDs are winning.
chribec2
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Post by chribec2 »

Dear MrAl:
It would seem that you and others are having a rather trying time with the company called "Futurlec" based in Australia.
May I interest you in a recommendation of a company called "Jameco Electronics" (<www.jameco com>) based in California?
I am not connected with this company except as a satisfied customer. I have ordered from this co. numerous times and
have always received excellent service. The few times they had to B/O parts, they shipped within two weeks. Granted, they
may not have everything everybody can use, but they do seem eligible for a decent check out. Try it - see what happens.
No guarantee's - but - I like 'em.
Phil Potter.
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MrAl
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Post by MrAl »

Hi again,


Thanks Chribec. Actually though i have used Jameco almost as long
as they have been in business. Maybe since the late 70's or something
like that. Before the internet i used snail mail and check to order.
I use other companies as well because no one company seems to have
everything so that's how i ended up using Futurlec. They had things
i wanted that other companies didnt have or were higher priced so
i thought i would give them a try.
LEDs vs Bulbs, LEDs are winning.
jm
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Post by jm »

MrAl,

Futurlec is in Bangkok. I had a similar experience to yours, but anticipated it from dealings with Far East vendors on E-bay - great prices with flakey service.

These guys seem to be honest but are not up to Western notions of customer relations plus the language/culture barrier. When I ordered from Futurelec, I followed up in 2 days telling them to cancel any backordered items and ship the rest. It worked! :)

By the time they meet our standards they won't be so cheap any more. As the saying goes: "you pays your money you takes your choice"

jm
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